Once upon a time, winning a Headies award felt like a rite of passage for Nigerian artists. Back then, if you weren’t called up to that stage at least once in your career, you were yet to “blow”.
These days, the grounds have shifted; artist success is now measured by metrics beyond the Nigerian borders. But the Headies still holds its place as the breeding ground for the making stars.
So, where did The Headies start? How did it grow into Nigeria’s most prestigious music award show?
The answers lie on a path down memory lane.
It All began in 2006
Back then, a widely read Nigerian music magazine, Hip Hop World decided it was time to give Nigerian artists the recognition they deserved. The music scene was blowing up. P-Square, 2Baba, and D’banj were the “Big 3”. But there was no solid home-grown platform to properly reward the work of a new generation of urban artists that would lay the foundation Afrobeats rave the world is witnessing today.
So, The Hip Hop World Awards (as was called then) was born. The mission was obvious: celebrate the best of Nigerian music. The first plaque came with an attitude you couldn’t miss: a gold plated head that depicts the shout of youth with talent that could match that of all his contemporaries home and abroad, but was held down by the limitations of the Nigerian environment.
In the first edition, P-Square dominated the night. But apart from P-Square and their colleagues in the “Big 3” league, the industry was a galaxy of shining stars. They included Paul Play Dairo, DJ Jimmy Jatt, 9ice, Asa, Naeto C and a host of others. In subsequent years, they all proved to be worth their salt, bagging awards as testament to their artistic excellence.
The event was mainly a Nigerian affair. But for an industry that was just finding its feet, it was a game-changer.
The industry got more competitive. Stars were celebrated, and everyone was inspired to push harder. So much that the award became a source of inspiration for dope lyrical lines. Case in point: Wande Coal won The Next Rated in 2008, a category for the most promising acts, which had MI competing too. The award came with a car gift. In one of his releases the following year, MI (who himself went home with his first award in the Best Rap Single category) spat, “so what, if we don’t win cars we buy them / My parents wanna come see my show, let’s fly them”. Meanwhile, rapper Modenine dominated the Lyricist On the Roll category for six consecutive years: 2006 – 2011. The award nights became a fierce arena of critical acclaim, and you’d either go hard or go home.
2010s: When Things Got Even More Serious
Fast forward a few years, and The Headies had transformed from just another award show into the music industry’s ultimate seal of approval. New categories popped up, performances got bigger, and winning a Headies became a career-defining moment.
Oh, and it was in that decade—precisely in 2011 by the 6th edition—that the award got renamed The Headies Awards from the Hip Hop World Awards that it used to be known as
Artists like Wizkid, Davido, Olamide, and Tiwa Savage made history, collecting plaques and delivering some of the most legendary acceptance speeches
And of course, feuds. Who can forget Olamide’s “the street ti take over” moment?.
But just as it was gaining momentum, The Headies started facing growing pains.
Delays. Snubs. Missing trophies. And the biggest issue? Going global.
The Global Push: Will The Headies Become Africa’s Grammys?
By 2022, The Headies made a bold move. It relocated to Atlanta, USA. A Nigerian award show? In America? Not everyone was on board, but there was a reason behind the switch: Afrobeats had gone global, and The Headies wanted to go with it.
In a way, it worked. The international audience grew, more eyes were on Nigerian artists, and the show started to feel like an African BET Awards.
Now, in 2025, The Headies is facing its biggest test yet: Can it cement itself as the No.1 African music award?
With competition from events like the MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMAs) and the newly introduced Grammy Afrobeats category, The Headies can’t afford to slow down.
If it keeps evolving—better organization, international partnerships, and more credibility—it could become the ultimate recognition for African music, just like the Grammys are for the West.
Nevertheless, its Impact Remains Undeniable
The Headies has come a long way, From a small Lagos-based event to an internationally recognized award show,
The memories of yesteryears are glorious.
But the journey isn’t over. The big question is: what’s next?
Can The Headies dominate the African award scene and push beyond the continent? Only time will tell. But one thing is for sure—as Afrobeats continues to grow, so will The Headies
